Taking the Extra Step - Using Additional Sources of Information

Feedback from your classmates is the basic information you need to perform your class rep role.  But you can enrich your role and delve deeper into topics that interest you, using information available from other sources as well. 

  • Summary and Response Document – you will probably already be referring to this document to check what issues have been raised at previous SSLCs, and what your subject area or School has undertaken to do.  This is part of the Course Evaluation Policy.
  • External Examiner Reports - these are submitted at the end of the examination process and may make comments or suggestions for improvement to the School concerned.
  • National survey results – the University takes part in a number of national-level student surveys, for example: 
    • the National Student Survey (NSS)
    • Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey
    • Postgraduate Research Experience Survey

See a list of surveys here: Have your say  

You may be able to to get the results of such surveys from your School Rep or College Convenor, or from the admins or SSLC Chair in your School. These might show up areas of concern for the whole University, or for individual areas, that you can use as further evidence to bolster your case for change.

All these can be used as evidence that an issue should be resolved. Schools develop action plans for these sorts of issues and class reps should be part of these discussions.

  • Existing Student Support Policies - see the University Policies section of this toolkit for links to some of the most relevant policies relating to your and your classmates' learning experience, such as the Accessible and Inclusive Learning Policy, Assessed Group Work Policy and Lecture Recording Policy.  These set out what the University has committed to do in each area.  Check whether your and your classmates' experience matches up to what's promised.  Or, if your experience indicates that a policy can be improved in some way, you can also raise this as an issue.  There is a longer list of student support policies, which cover many different aspects of the student experience, linked from the My Class Reps homepage.

Further Reading

Quality Assurance Agency Scotland has published a Guide to Using Evidence, which offers an in-depth look at types of evidence and how they might be used within a Higher Education context, including case studies and exercises.